How to Make a 1950s-60s Veiled Cocktail Hat

Tuesday, September 27, 2016

Here's another vintage hat tutorial today, using some scraps from your stash and a hat base from your recycling bin. This little cocktail hat is an open fabric band embellished with millinery veil and little autumn berries.

You will need:

scrap of fabric- wool, velvet, whatever you like
a cereal box
millinery veil- available from JoAnne Fabrics or on etsy
flowers or berries of your choice. I found these from the dollar tree

cut your fabric band on the bias, so it bends around the age a little easier
glue the hat base together, forming a circle and whip stitch the fabric to the hat base.

cut your veil 1 yard long. Gather the veil by folding the long edge like an accordion, with small folds. sew back and forth through the accordion folds to secure.

Use a few anchor stitches to attach the veil to the hat band.

decorate the veil with berries, flowers or fabric bows. I used hot glue and tried to anchor most of the berries to the base and the center of the veil. If you like, you can cover the center of the veil, were most of the berry or flower stems are with a little bow. I found this vintage velvet ribbon in my stash.

You can also sew little hair combs to the inside band of this hat, if it doesn't want to stay on by itself.